Hawks to Watch: Sarah Stern, Public Relations Manager

Why Sarah’s a Hawk to Watch:

Sarah Stern could have been considered a Hawks to Watch even while still an undergraduate at KU such were her achievements. While studying for a B.A. in Latin American Studies and B.S. in Journalism, Sarah won a fellowship from Kansas Paraguay Partners that took her to Paraguay where she mastered Spanish and Portuguese and conducted a study of poor women’s experiences with microfinance programs. A lifelong photography enthusiast, Stern also participated in the Paraguayan Carnaval Encarnaceno, somehow managing both to photograph the event and dance in it. In a visit to Brazil, she collaborated with photographer Gary Mark Smith to create the photography book Favela da Rocinha, Brazil, a pictorial chronicle of life in that famous shantytown of Rio de Janeiro. Proceeds to the book support community education projects in the favela. As a result of these and other accomplishments, Sarah was named one of Glamor Magazine’s Top 10 College Women of 2012. After graduating with honors from KU, Sarah accepted a position as an Account Assistant for the Jeffrey Group, a Miami-based public relations agency that serves firms that do business in Latin America. At the Jeffrey Group, Sarah won a prestigious SABRE Award for her work promoting Spotify in Latin America. Now she works as the manager of Netflix’s Latin America consumer division. And that’s why Sarah is a Hawk to Watch.

Tell us, in 140 characters or less, what you do for a living:

I work with the media in Latin America to tell stories about Netflix.

What do you feel is your biggest achievement so far?

Finding a job that keeps me on my toes learning every day and allows me to combine my passion for travel and Latin America.

What’s your lowest career moment and how did you pick yourself up and move on?

I wouldn’t use the word low, but one of the hardest moments was starting my career, leaving Kansas to work in Miami where a lot of the Latin America work is. It’s hard to move somewhere completely new where you don’t know anyone and start at a new company, but it pushes you to grow, and there is a lot of learning in those moments. I worked a lot of long hours, asked a lot of questions and luckily had some KU connections that introduced me to Jayhawks living in Miami that later became great friends of mine.

Where do you hope to be in 10 years?

Still traveling. Maybe I’ll have found a winning idea to start a business of my own!

What’s your best career pro-tip?

What do you do after you’ve clocked out?

I’m outside as much as possible…usually finding something new to explore in LA.

What do you know now that you wish you could tell your 18-year-old self?

In all fairness, my j-school advisor Susanne Shaw did tell me, that if you’re going to work in PR or even Advertising, take an editing class. I wish I would have specialized in news or at least taken a few more news classes while I was in school.

What is a fun fact about you that surprises people?

I studied abroad in Paraguay and danced in Paraguayan Carnaval Encarnacen there.

Stranger Things and CheNetflix as Sarah takes over the KU College Instagram live from Buenos Aires, Argentina (11.7.2017)

Hawks to Watch are disrupters. They’re poised for greatness, inspiring their colleagues and excelling in their professions. Basically, they’re killing it. Having recently graduated, they are just starting to leave their mark and we can’t wait to see how their story unfolds. These Jayhawks span all industries including business, non-profits, tech, healthcare, media, law and the arts.